The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a fibre reinforced metal cylinder, in particular to a method of manufacturing a fibre reinforced metal ring or a fibre reinforced metal disc.
In one known method of manufacturing a fibre reinforced metal ring, as disclosed in UK patent application No. GB2168032A, a fibre is wound spirally in a plane with a metal matrix spiral between the turns of the fibre spiral. The fibre spiral and metal matrix spiral are positioned between discs of metal matrix and this arrangement is pressed axially to consolidate the ring structure. This produces little or no breaking of the fibres.
A problem with this method is that it is difficult to wind the fibre and metal matrix unless the fibre and metal matrix have the same diameter. If the fibre and metal matrix wire have the same diameter the ring structure has a low volume fraction of fibre.
In another known method of manufacturing a fibre reinforced metal ring, as disclosed in UK patent application No. GB2198675A, a continuous helical tape of fibres and a continuous helical tape of metal foil are interleaved. The interleaved helical tapes of fibres and the metal foil are placed in an annular groove in a metal member and a metal ring is placed on top of the interleaved helical tapes of fibres and metal foil. The metal ring is pressed axially to consolidate the assembly and to diffusion bond the metal ring, the metal member and the interleaved helical tapes of fibres and metal foil together to form an integral structure. This method produces little or no breaking of the fibres.
In a further known method of manufacturing a fibre reinforced metal ring, as disclosed in our European patent No. EP0831154B1, a plurality of metal coated fibres are placed in an annular groove in a metal member and a metal ring is placed on top of the metal coated fibres. Each of the metal coated fibres is wound spirally in a plane and the metal coated fibre spirals are stacked in the annular groove in the metal member. The metal ring is pressed axially to consolidate the assembly and to diffusion bond the metal ring, the metal member and the metal coated fibre spirals together to form an integral structure. This method produces little or no breaking of the fibres.
The latter method suffers from several problems. Firstly the method of coating the fibres with metal may be costly. Secondly the choice of metals, or alloys, which may be coated onto the fibres is limited. Thirdly the fibre arrangement produced by the method is always the same and hence this limits the ability of the designer to tailor the properties of hoop strength, axial strength and radial strength to optimum for any particular fibre reinforced metal disc or fibre reinforced metal ring.
Accordingly the present invention seeks to provide a novel method of manufacturing a fibre reinforced metal component.
Accordingly the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a fibre reinforced metal component comprising the steps of:xe2x80x94
(a) forming a longitudinally extending groove in a face of a first metallic member,
(b) arranging at least one longitudinally extending metal coated fibre and at least one longitudinally extending metallic wire in the longitudinally extending groove in the first metallic member,
(c) forming a longitudinally extending projection on a face of a second metallic member,
(d) arranging the second metallic member such that the longitudinally extending projection of the second metallic member is aligned with the longitudinally extending groove of the first metallic member,
(e) applying heat and pressure such that the longitudinally extending projection moves into the longitudinally extending groove to consolidate the at least one longitudinally extending metal coated fibre and the at least one longitudinally extending metallic wire and to bond the first metallic member, the second metallic member, the at least one longitudinally extending metal coated fibre and the at least one longitudinally extending metallic wire to form a unitary composite component.
The method preferably comprises forming a circumferentially extending groove in an axial face of the first metallic member, arranging the at least one circumferentially extending metal coated fibre and at least one circumferentially extending metallic wire in the circumferentially extending groove in the first metallic member, forming a circumferentially extending projection on a face of the second metallic member,
arranging the second metallic member such that the circumferentially extending projection of the second metallic member is aligned with the circumferentially extending groove of the first metallic member, applying heat and pressure such that the circumferentially extending projection moves into the circumferentially extending groove to consolidate the at least one circumferentially extending metal coated fibre and the circumferentially extending metallic wire and to bond the first metallic member, the second metallic member, the at least one circumferentially extending metal coated fibre and the circumferentially extending metallic wire to form a unitary composite component.
The method may comprise arranging the at least one circumferentially extending metal coated fibre and the at least one circumferentially extending metallic wire in the circumferentially extending groove in the first metallic member such that the at least one circumferentially extending metal coated fibre and the at least one circumferentially extending metallic wire are arranged in a common plane.
The method may comprise arranging the at least one circumferentially extending metallic wire at a greater radial distance than the at least one circumferentially extending metal coated fibre.
The method may comprise arranging the at least one circumferentially extending metal coated fibre and the at least one circumferentially extending metallic wire in the circumferentially extending groove in the first metallic member such that the at least one circumferentially extending metal coated fibre and the at least one circumferentially extending metallic wire are arranged in different planes.
Preferably the method comprises arranging a plurality of circumferentially extending metal coated fibres and a plurality of circumferentially extending metallic wires in the circumferentially extending groove in the first metallic member.
The method may comprise arranging the plurality of circumferentially extending metal coated fibres and the plurality of circumferentially extending metallic wires in the circumferentially extending groove in the first metallic member such that a first one of the plurality of circumferentially extending metal coated fibres and a first one of the plurality of circumferentially extending metallic wires are arranged in a first common plane, a second one of the plurality of circumferentially extending metal coated fibres and a second one of the plurality of circumferentially extending metallic wires are arranged in a second common plane and the first and second common planes are spaced apart axially of the first metallic member.